Microsoft released its latest console duo in November 2020, introducing the Xbox Series X and the more budget-friendly Series S to the gaming marketplace. Over four years later, these consoles have built up an impressive and diverse collection of games, from large open-world blockbusters to smaller indie puzzlers. If you’re new to the console, here are 15 games that showcase the variety of experiences available, each offering something interesting, enjoyable, and rewarding.
Alan Wake 2
Alternate dimension … Alan Wake 2. Photograph: Remedy Entertainment
Thirteen years after the original game, cursed horror author Alan Wake returns, now trapped in an alternate dimension and determined to write his way out, while FBI agents close in on the mysterious town of Bright Falls.
Why we love it: “a thoroughly entertaining blend of detective procedural and surrealist survival horror.” Read the full review.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Bursting with imagination … Baldur’s Gate 3. Photograph: Larian
One of the greatest role-playing fantasy games of the modern era, providing players with almost as much narrative and imaginative freedom as a table-top D&D adventure as they face off against the mighty mind-flayers.
Why we love it: “It’s a towering landmark of an RPG. Bustling with life, brimming with scope, and bursting with imagination.” Read the full review.
Psychonauts 2
Psychic playground … Psychonauts 2. Photograph: Double Fine
The long-awaited sequel to Double Fine’s cult 3D platformer sees the return of psychic acrobat secret agent Raz embarking on a mission to root out a dangerous new adversary.
Why we love it: “I’ve rarely played anything that is so unashamedly itself. Each hour is different, each character distinct and memorable, each new psychic playground full of surprises.” Read the full review.
Death Stranding
A quest to save humanity … Death Stranding. Photograph: Kojima Productions
Hideo Kojima’s elegiac science-fiction adventure is like nothing else you’ll ever play, a post-apocalyptic quest to save humanity, following a parcel courier with an extremely valuable and unlikely parcel.
Why we love it: “This uncompromising, unashamedly political work of artistic intent is 2019’s most interesting blockbuster game by a distance.” Read the full review.
Elden Ring
Spectacular landscapes … Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Photograph: FromSoftware
A grandiose fantasy opera from the makers of Dark Souls, filled with spectacular landscapes, bizarre characters and seemingly insurmountable bosses. Complete with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC it’s a challenging and engrossing open world like no other.
Why we love it: “This is a massive world, astonishingly rendered (the sun and moon wheel in the sky, casting each scene anew) and seemingly limitless in its creative diversity. It is an unrivalled feat of design and inventiveness.” Read the full review.
Forza Horizon 4
Perfectly recreated cars … Forza Horizon 4. Photograph: Microsoft
A beautiful open-world driving game providing hundreds of square miles of the British countryside to explore while racing other drivers, completing challenges and collecting stunningly modelled supercars.
Why we love it: “As driving games go, it’s the best I’ve ever played, not only because of its irresistible scenery, exhilarating driving and perfectly recreated cars, but because spending time with it puts me in a lasting good mood.” Read the full review.
Hades
Hell of a fight … Hades. Photograph: Supergiant games
Fight your way out of hell while enjoying the horny shenanigans of ancient Greek gods. Has there ever been a more attractive premise for a Rogue-like action role-playing romp?
Why we love it: “Interesting things happen all the time, and no matter how long I spend with Hades I feel like I am only just getting acquainted with it.” Read the full review.
Hi-Fi Rush
Unashamedly music-centred … Hi-Fi Rush
Better known for its horror adventure series The Evil Within, Tokyo studio Tango Gameworks surprised us all with this stomping rhythm action brawler where enemies, action and hallucinogenic environments are all in sync with the infectious beat.
Why we love it: “As brazenly colourful as a Jet Set Radio fever dream, it’s refreshing to play a game that is so unashamedly music-centred.” Read the full review.
Minecraft
Ultimate crafting adventure … Day Gliding in Minecraft: Console Editions Holiday Update Minecraft (2016). Photograph: Mojang
The ultimate crafting adventure, providing a vast procedurally generated world to explore and an almost limitless range of activities from building castles, to fighting zombies, to competing in mini games. Fifteen years old and showing no sign of running out of ideas.
Why we love it: “By constructing the world from 1×1 blocks that can be arranged in every imaginable combination, Minecraft is perhaps the closest we have to a true god game.” Read the full review.
Pentiment
Inspired by illuminated manuscripts … Pentiment. Photograph: Xbox Game Studios
In an Alpine Bavarian village during the 16th century a young artist sets out to solve a series of gruesome murders. With luscious visuals inspired by illuminated manuscripts of the era, this is an extraordinary detective adventure.
Why we love it: “It provides a wonderfully evocative window into the past […] a gift to any player who longs for a historical setting that’s more than a surface texture.” Read the full review.
Persona 5 Royal
Messy adolescent love … Persona 5 Royal. Photograph: Atlus/ Sega
A group of Tokyo high-school students develop incredible powers and set out to battle evil and corruption – while also falling in and out of messy adolescent love. Part sprawling metaphysical role-playing game, part super cute dating sim.
Why we love it: “With its stylish cuts and transitions, loose and unorthodox structure and real-world setting Persona 5 is unlike any other video game. Its depth and texture far outstrips even earlier games in the series.” Read the full review.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Bloody thrills … Resident Evil 4 Remake. Fotografie: Capcom
Möglicherweise das größte Survival-Horror-Spiel aller Zeiten, auf den neuesten Stand gebracht, während es seine Mischung aus blutigen Nervenkitzel, raffinierten Rätseln und wirklich schrecklichen Monstern beibehält.
Warum wir es lieben: „Es ist prächtig, köstlich und dekadent, wie ein unglaublich reichhaltiges Bankett, das mitten im Trümmerfeld einer schrecklichen Schlacht serviert wird.“ Lesen Sie die vollständige Rezension.
Sea of Thieves
Ein turbulentes Abenteuer … Sea of Thieves. Fotografie: Rare
Effektiv ein Piraten-Fantasie-Simulator, Spielercrews begeben sich gemeinsam auf hohe See, entdecken vergrabene Schätze und kämpfen gegen andere Freibeuter. Ein turbulentes Koop-Abenteuer voller unvergesslicher Momente gemeinsamer Aufregung und Heiterkeit.
Warum wir es lieben: „Du wirst lachen, du wirst segeln, du wirst Grog trinken, bis dir schlecht wird. Was für ein üppiges, einzigartiges Sandbox-Erlebnis.“ Lesen Sie die vollständige aktualisierte Rezension.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Chaotische Welt … The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Fotografie: CD Projekt RED
Der grimmige Monsterjäger Geralt stellt sich seiner prägenden Quest, als er seine adoptierte Tochter Ciri in einer chaotischen Welt voller riesiger Bestien und kriegführender Fraktionen sucht. Unvergessliche Charaktere und eine reichhaltige Quelle romantischer Spannungen verleihen der Zerstörung Tiefe.
Warum wir es lieben: „Geralt hat ein Schweizer Taschenmesser interaktiver Werkzeuge, und sein Fähigkeiten bieten eine einzigartig vielfältige und abwechslungsreiche Reise“. Lesen Sie die vollständige Rezension.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Interaktive Comedy-Seifenoper … Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Fotografie: Sega
Diese urkomische, chaotische und packende Auffrischung für die Yakuza-Serie zeigt den Kleinganoven Ichiban Kasuga, der versucht, sein Leben auf den gemeinen Straßen von Yokohama wieder in Ordnung zu bringen. Komm für die Kämpfe, bleib für das Karaoke.
Warum wir es lieben: „Like a Dragon bewahrt den altmodischen, etwas unverbesserlichen Vibe der vorherigen Yakuza-Spiele, während es eine neue Wendung hinzufügt, die es in ein anderes Genre lenkt […] eine sehr japanische, gangsterthemenorientierte, interaktive Comedy-Seifenoper“. Lesen Sie die vollständige Rezension.